human resources

types of interview questions (2)

* behaviour-based
* assess behavioural patterns and initiative
* situational-based
* assess judgmental ability (hypothetical scenarios)

testing used in recruitment (4)

* psychometric test
* assess candidates personality and level of motivation
* aptitude test
* examine skill/ability of candidate
* intelligence
* mental ability
* trade
* skills in a specific profession

types of on-the-job training (2)

* induction
* introducing new employees to organization
* mentor
* partnership involving a mentor which helps mentee gain experience/skills

pros of induction training (3)

* morale boosted as new staff feels welcomed
* establishes expectations and work habits from the beginning
* settling in quicker may mean contributing to the organization promptly

cons of induction training (3)

* key staff may have to be pulled out from their tasks
* large organizations may have lengthy induction training
* information overload

pros of mentor training (3)

* forms an authentic bond between mentor and mentee
* mentor can monitor progress
* safe environment for mentee

cons of mentor training (3)

* mentor and mentee pairing may not work out
* mentor may have to go through extra training
* time-consuming for mentor to plan

pros of off-the-job training

* experts that organization don’t have are used
* wide range of training can be provided
* no distractions from customers/colleagues

cons of off-the-job-training

* hiring venue/specialists may be costly
* loss of output because staff is training not working
* skills may not be relevant to job

appraisal

formal assessment of employee’s performance

types of appraisal (4)

* formative
* planned, ongoing process where appraisal evidence is used by employees
* summative
* written description of employee’s performance
* 360-degree feedback
* collecting evidence of employee’s performance by colleagues, peers, etc.
* self-apprasial
* employee appraises themselves on pre-determined criteria

dismissal

termination of worker’s employment

redundancies

no longer afford to employ staff or job ceases to exist

outsourcing

practice of transferring internal business activities to external firm

pros of outsourcing (3)

* business can focus on core activities
* specialists hired work to high quality standards
* reduce labour costs

cons of outsourcing (3)

* redundancies in firm
* need to be monitored
* quality management becomes difficult

offshoring

relocating business activities aboard

re-shoring

reversal of offshoring outsourcing

delegation

passing on control to others

span of control

number of people who are accountable to manager

bureaucracy

execution of tasks governed by rules of organization

decentralization

decision-making is shared

centralization

decision-making is made by small number of people

pros of centralization (2)

* rapid decision-making
* better control over organization

cons of centralization (2)

* added pressure for senior staff
* demotivating for employees

cos of decentralization (2)

* inefficient
* greater chance of mistake

pros of centralization (2)

* improved morale
* teamwork

project-based organization

human resources are organized around projects

pros of project-based organization (3)

* efficient
* motivational
* productive

cons of project-based organization (3)

* isolation
* discontinuity
* conflicting interest

Handy’s Shamrock organization

believes the staff is the most important resource with focus on 3 main groups; core staff, peripheral; outsourced

functions of management (5)

1. planning
2. commanding
3. controlling
4. coordinating
5. organizing

management vs leadership

* management
* art of getting things done through people
* 9-5
* leader
* inspires others to get things done
* 24/7

types of leadership styles (5)

* autocratic
* leader makes all decisions without help
* democratic
* involve employees in decision-making
* paternalistic
* treats employees as family acting in their best interest
* laissez-faire
* employees make own decision
* situational
* using right leadership style depending on situation

Taylor’s Motivation Theory

people are only motivated by money, involves differentiated piecework where employees are paid standard level of output and receive more money if they exceed

Maslow

hierarchy of needs, the assumption that people must be satisfied in this order; physiological needs, safety, belonging, self-esteem, self-actualization

Herberg

hygiene factors and motivators affect level of motivation

job enlargement

workers have variety in what they do

job enrichment

more challenging tasks to exploit workers potential

job empowerment

delegating decision-making to works

Adam’s Equity Theory

input to output ratio has to be seen fair in relation to others

Pink

financial motivators no longer work, instead the three innate factors are autonomy, mastery and purpose

piece rate

rewards productive workers by paying workers for each item they sell

profit-related pay

linking pay to level of firm’s profit (typically as a bonus)

performance-related pay

reward employees who meet certain goals

employee share ownership scheme

giving shares in company or at a discount

job rotation

workers perform different tasks at same complexity in a systematic way

corporate culture (Edgar H. Schein)

three levels:

* artefacts
* superficial aspects (ex. dress code)
* espoused values
* desired culture
* shared basic assumptions

Charles Handy

different culture for different business activities

Deal and Kennedy

way things get done within an organization

Goffee and Jones

ideal culture involves high sociability and solidarity

inert culture

negative to change

adaptive culture

responsive to change

trade/labour union

organization of working people working to improve pay/working conditions

collective bargaining

negotiations between trade unions and representatives

tactics used by employees (5)

* collective bargaining
* go-slows
* work at minimum pace allowed
* work-to-rule
* does the absolute minimum required
* overtime bans
* strike action

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tactics used by employers (5)

* collective bargianing
* threats of redundancies
* change of contract
* clousure
* lock-out

what are the elements of organization culture (5)

* Nature of business
* Organization structure
* Rewards
* Management styles
* Sanctions